The present invention relates to hearing devices for aiding the hearing impaired and the profoundly deaf, and more particularly to a dual purpose connector system providing an attachment system for both a standard earhook and for a special earhook, which special earhook includes auxiliary accessory electrical connection capabilities. The connector system of the present invention is useful for both conventional hearing aids and for cochlear stimulation systems employing Behind-The-Ear (BTE) speech processors.
Implantable Cochlear Stimulation (ICS) systems are known in the art. Such systems are used to help the profoundly deaf (those whose middle and/or outer ear is dysfunctional, but whose auditory nerve remains intact) to hear. The sensation of hearing is achieved by directly exciting the auditory nerve with controlled impulses of electrical current, which impulses are generated as a function of perceived audio sounds. The audio sounds are picked up by a microphone carried externally (not implanted) by the deaf person and converted to electrical signals. The electrical signals, in turn, are processed and conditioned by a Wearable Signal Receiver and Processor (WP) in an appropriate manner, e.g., converted to a sequence of pulses of varying width and/or amplitude, and then transmitted to an implanted receiver circuit of the ICS system. The implanted receiver circuit generates electrical current as a function of the processed signal it receives from the WP (which in turn is based on the audio sounds picked up by the external microphone). The implanted receiver circuit is connected to an implantable electrode array that has been inserted into the cochlea of the inner ear. The electrical current generated by the implanted receiver circuit is applied to individual electrode pairs of the electrode array. It is this electrical current which directly stimulates the auditory nerve and provides the user with the sensation of hearing.
While known ICS systems have succeeded in providing hearing to the deaf, ICS systems also have the disadvantage of appearing unsightly. ICS systems include an external headpiece positioned on the side of the user's head, and require an external cable running from the external headpiece to the WP. The WP is typically worn or carried by the user on a belt or in a pocket. While the WP is not too large, it is likewise not extremely small, and hence also represents an inconvenience for the user. The cable which connects the WP with the headpiece is particularly a source of irritation and self-consciousness for the user.
The above-described aesthetic considerations and inconvenience of an external wire are addressed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,824,022, issued Oct. 20, 1998, for “Cochlear Stimulation System Employing Behind-The-Ear (BTE) Speech Processor With Remote Control.” The '022 patent teaches a small single external device that performs the functions of both the WP and the headpiece. The external device is positioned behind the ear to minimize its visibility, and requires no cabling to additional components. The '022 patent is incorporated herein by reference.
While the BTE device taught by the '022 patent resolves the issues of aesthetics and inconvenience, the resulting device leaves little space to provide connectors for auxiliary devices. Typically, users of hearing aids and cochlear implants have requirements to attach a variety of auxiliary devices to augment the basic hearing function. These devices include: telecoils, auxiliary microphones, FM receivers, audio jacks, etc. There is therefore a need to provide a means to reliably and detachably connect an auxiliary device to a BTE device, that does not add size or weight to the BTE device.